Home (Hold My Heart)
by PrincessMidna90
Summary: 'You are cordially invited to celebrate the new stage in the lives of Y. Katsuki and V. Nikiforov at *insert address here* on the *insert date here*. Kindly RSVP at *insert date here* the latest. The happy couple looks forward to having you attend their special day.' Or: Yuuri moves with Victor to Saint Petersburg and they buy their first apartment together
1. A New Start

Yuuri and Victor both are exhausted after the flight, but Yuuri is ready to collapse when he learns not all his luggage made it with them on the plane. Especially when it turns out that means he's got no clothes with him except those he's wearing.

"You can use mine," Victor tells him, his tone too cheerful for Yuuri's current mood, but he knows he's no choice until the last of his stuff makes it over. They're at Victor's apartment building when he finds out, so at least there aren't anyone around to witness them, the lobby empty at the late hour.

Yuuri is too tired to be able to be mad or to tease Victor, knowing what wearing Victor's clothes does to the man; Victor can get stupidly obsessive sometimes, as proven by the lovebite on Yuuri's throat now covered by a scarf.

"We'll bring this up now and then you can put aside what you need and what we'll put in storage later."

Yuuri nods in reply, not in enough control of his emotions to say anything. The elevator ride up is quiet, and the small space is filled to the brim with the two of them and Yuuri's stuff. They work together on removing it from the elevator before Victor leads the way to his apartment.

"So, what do you think?" Victor asks as he opens the door to his apartment in a grand gesture that Yuuri can only imagine coming from Victor.  
"It's small," Yuuri replied, blushing and hastily covering his mouth as soon as the last letter passes his lips. "Sorry, I just meant…"  
"Just meant you imagined something grander?"  
"Well, yes." Yuuri doesn't know quite how to explain it. "I always imagined a penthouse, or something with a large room for gathering and rooms for guests. This is…" He feels a bit lost for words now, doesn't want to risk offending his fiancé.

(Fiancé. Yuuri still can't bring himself to think the word, not really. It feels unreal, like a dream, and Yuuri fears he'll wake up to find the past year's been a fantasy, a wish, just a dream. He fears he'll wake up and find everything to be as it was, and that Victor doesn't see his video, doesn't show up at his family's inn out of the blue, like a whirlwind, turning Yuuri's life upside down.)

"It's cozy," he settles for, the word _cozy_ ringing true.  
"I'm glad you think so." Victor smiles at him. "I've lived here for years. It never felt right, moving from the place I lived in when I won all my gold medals; it's almost as if it's a lucky place."

There's a fondness in Victor's voice that makes Yuuri smile up at him.

"But," Victor adds, and Yuuri can sense nervousness from the small word.  
"But what?" Yuuri asks, not sure if he wants to know the answer.

He doesn't get an answer; Victor just shakes his head, as if ridding himself of the thought he just had.  
"Come on, I'll show you around!"

Straight ahead there's a blue sofa; a two-seater with a matching footstool. A small side table with a stack of book stands next to it, as does a reading lamp, and there's a wall-mounted TV across from it. On the wall to the right there's a coat hook. A chair stands beneath it, a pair of shoes tucked underneath. The sofa faces a wall with windows and a TV, a chair matching the sofa next to it.

Immediately to the left there's a desk with a computer

A small kitchen in behind the sofa. The small kitchen island has a fold-out table attached to it. Not really a place for dinner parties, or parties of any kind, Yuuri far removed from what he'd imagined, but he much prefers this.

The bathroom is behind the kitchen, and next to the door stands a small table with a plant - miraculously real and alive.

"Yakov," replies Victor, seeing Yuuri eyeing the plant. Yuuri is surprised at that, knowing how Victor just up and left with no warning and how annoyed his former (and now once-again) coach was at his sudden decision to coach Yuuri.

Next to the door to the bathroom are sliding doors leading into the bedroom. It's a decent sized room, a four-poster canopy bed. It's even got sheer curtains hanging from it. Yuuri hadn't expected that. There are more books stacked in the deep windowsills.

The small spare bedroom has been converted into a walk-in closet, with a dog bed for Makkachin that Yuuri suspects is rarely used judged by the fact that there's only a small amount of fur in it.

The bathroom is small, with a black and white tiled floor and white walls and interior. There's only a bathtub and no shower, which means it takes longer to get ready in the morning but that it's easier to wash Makkachin. Yuuri briefly wonders if the bathtub will fit both him and Victor and blushes at the thought.

It doesn't really strike Yuuri until they're cuddled up in Victor's bed, Yuuri dressed in his own boxers and an oversized sweatshirt of Victor's and he's barely awake enough to ask the question.

"Victor?"

"Hmmm?"

"How come your apartment is so clean when you haven't been here in months?"

"Oh. Right." Victor's laugh rumbles through him. "Yakov hired a cleaner to come by a couple days ago. ' _You're not bringing that boy home to a filthy apartment_ ,' he told me. Leaving to come to you… Making sure this place was clean wasn't what I focused on; you were." Victor smiles at Yuuri, and his eyes are filled with love. "Not that the dust and fur helped either. He left the bill for me of course, so I'm assuming he did it for you and not me. Don't tell him though; he likes to make people think he's a tough guy who doesn't care, but he's really a big softie."

"Mmmkay, rmmmber tht," Yuuri sleepy mumbles into Victor's chest. He's asleep seconds later.  
Victor fights to stay awake for just a few more moments so he can revel at the marvel that is Yuuri in his arms, but sleep and exhaustion overcomes him too seconds later.

-

It takes another two days before all of Yuuri's stuff is at Victor's apartment. What it means is that Victor's been looking at him in a certain way almost constantly as Yuuri's basically been forced to wear Victor's clothes until his own arrived.

It also means he's gained a fair bit of new lovebites, thankfully not in places that will show during training, because there is no way either Yurio nor Mila would let them live that down.

Yuuri's boxes covers Victor's second-bedroom-turned-walk-in-closet and part of the living room, and it makes it difficult for him to find most of his stuff, and so he can't help but wonder how on Earth they'll be able to permanently fit it into the small apartment. 

-

"We should get a new apartment," Victor says out of the blue on their first day back on the rink. The statement comes so unexpectedly that Yuuri slams right into the low wall.  
"What?"  
"A new apartment. Mine's too small. We should get a bigger place, together," Victor continues, oblivious to the fact that Yuuri is staring at him as though he just claimed the Earth is flat.

"You don't think it would've been better to broach this subject at another time?" Yuuri asks, and wonders if he will ever get used to Victor's way of just spouting words without thinking them through first. Except… He must have, in this case.

Yuuri thinks back to their first night at Victor's apartment, at the ' _but_ ' that became nothing more than that small word. _He must have thought about this for a while,_ he thinks. _Not even Victor would suggest something like that out of the blue._ Then again, Yuuri had basically proposed to Victor without even being aware of it himself.

"No. I figured, seeing as it was the love of skating that brought us together…" Victor leaves the sentence hanging in the air. as he skates away to practice his jumps.  
"I guess you're right. I'm just so used to living in small spaces that I didn't really think about it." Yuuri thinks of the very, very few places he's lived; his room at his family's hot spring and the room he shared with Phichit in Detroit, and now Victor's apartment.

"Which is why we need to broaden your horizon Yuuri! How else will we host a grand party when you win gold at the Grand Prix next year? You can't see all our friends and your family crammed together at our small apartment, can you?"

 _Our apartment._ Yuuri's only lived there for three nights so far. It still feels like he's just visiting, with his boxes stacked everywhere there's even a hint of place. He doesn't know where half his stuff is, and it all makes it rather impossible to feel at home in the apartment. So what Victor says makes sense, Yuuri knows that.

He just hadn't expected to start thinking about moving _again_ , and certainly not this soon.

-

"We'll need at least three bedrooms," Victor says one day at practice.  
"Huh?" Yuuri's confused and his rather ineloquent reply shows it.  
"Our new apartment. At least three bedrooms. One for us, obviously, and one for Yurio when he needs to get away from Yakov, and one for Pichit when he comes to visit."

Yuuri scates up to Victor and kisses him with such intensity that Victor _almost_ loses his balance. Only an annoyed shout from Yurio stops the kiss from becoming something more.

-

"Chris would never forgive us if we didn't make sure there's room for a stripper pole," Victor adds a couple days later, like an odd continuation from the mention of the number of bedrooms a few days before.

"Don't make me watch any of you on that fucking thing! I'm not old enough for this shit" Yurio shouts out before Yuuri can reply to Victor. Yuuri knows it's futile to argue with Victor when he's got his mind set on something, and also that Chris would just bring his own pole if they didn't get one themselves.

There's also the idea of Victor using it, or maybe even Yuuri himself in the quiet comfort of their new apartment. It's apparent that he's blushing again, based on the sound of disgust he hears just before Yurio's knee hits his back almost hard enough for him to fall over, but just enough to throw him off balance.

"Yurio, be nice to your dad!" Victor says as he skates by them out on the ice. "Or else we won't let _Beka_ stay over with you." Victor's voice turns teasing, knowing full well that only Yurio is allowed to call Otabek by that nickname. Neither Victor nor Yuuri would actually take away the safespace for Yurio and Otabek; that would only be cruel and heartless of them. Yurio knows this too, trusts them despite making it seem he's not fond of them - just like Yakov.

But it's enough to stop him in his tracks. Yurio really cares for Otabek, and they all know Otabek cares for Yurio in the same way. And that they're both above the age of consent, so for Victor and Yuuri to give them a room, a place, a _bed_ , is not illegal. It's just that teasing Yurio is too much fun, because he hisses like a small kitten thinking it's intimidating but is really just cute and adorable and pose no threat at all. (Except Yurio is currently wearing skates and might be inclined to _forgetting_ that particular fact, and having the sharp blade of a skate thrust into his back isn't something Victor wants to experience, so he's relieved when Yakov and Lilia appear. Not that he'd ever admit if, of course.)

-

"Maybe we should _actually_ start _looking_ at apartments?" This time it's Yuuri who brings up the subject. It's been over a week since Victor first mentioned it, but he's yet to bring any to Yuuri's attention.

"Who's saying I didn't?"  
"You started looking without me?!"  
"I would never!" Victor clutches his hands in front of his heart in a dramatic fashion. "How could you think me so cruel, Yuuri?"

"He's hired a friend of mine to find something," Mila tells Yuuri as she joins them on the ice, quickly followed by Yurio.  
"Victor's just too lazy to do it himself," Yurio adds, sticking his tongue out at Victor who acts even more wounded as he sinks down on the ice.

"Yuriooooo, why do you hurt your fathers so?"  
"You're not my fathers!" Yurio shouts back at him, just before Mila picks him up and skates around with him over her head until Lilia and Yakov appears.

-

They receive and email with listings from Mila's friend two days later. It's clear she's put care and time into making the list, as they're not far from the rink and within the size-range Victor gave her.

"Aren't some of these a bit, well, expensive?" Yuuri asks as he sees the prizes. All listed in russian ruble, which means he's no idea as to how much it would be in yen or any other, more easily understood, currency.  
"Money's no issue, didn't I mention that?"  
"Well, yes, but Victor… It's supposed to be our place, remember, so I'm paying for it as well."  
"Okay, you can pay one ruble!" Victor grins and his face lights up.

Yuuri knows it's a lost cause, so he just looks back at the list they've been given. There are more than he'd expected, and he doesn't know if he's got energy to look at them all in addition to the daily training, both on and off the ice.

So he closes his eyes, points a finger towards the screen and puts it down at a random link.

"That one," Yuuri says. "We'll start with that one."

-

The apartment building is situated by the water, a forest at the back of it. The view is spectacular, especially when they enter the apartment itself. The water, lake and the trees makes it seems as though they're far from the city, instead of being at the edge of the city center itself.

They enter through a small hallway, a settee to one side and a door and a floor-to-ceiling wardrobe on the other. The door leads into one of the bedrooms with an adjoining bathroom, complete with both a shower and a bathtub that Yuuri knows Yurio will love.

Continuing down to the left is the dining room with the kitchen and laundry room on the other side. Again to the left is another bedroom with a smaller bathroom. The bedroom is currently being used as a meeting room, but it won't take a lot of work to move out the furniture and replace it with a bed and a couple wardrobes.

Walking back to the other side of where they entered, they come upon a large, cozy living room with a spectacular view. The red hardwood floors throughout the entire apartment gives it a warm, cozy feeling that makes Yuuri feel like this truly can be their home. That this is where they'll start a new life together.

There are enough sofas and chairs for their entire group of friends and family. To the right is a combined bar/kitchenette that Yuuri suspects will see a lot more use than the actual kitchen itself.  
The wall facing the windows is covered by bookcases with glass doors, and Yuuri feels the need to fill them with well-read and well-worn books belonging to the both of them.

The master bedroom is separated from the living room by a wall of sliding doors. Passing through the bedroom they enter a walk-in closet that he hopes will be big enough to fit all their clothes, especially considering their skating costumes. Well, Victor's skating costumes to be exact. He's probably got more costumes than Yuuri has clothes and it's a daunting idea trying to fit all of that anywhere.

All those thoughts leave Yuuri's mind as they enter the en-suite bathroom. It's the same size as the bedroom, and Yuuri swears the shower alone is the size of his bedroom back at his parent's place.  
And that bathtub! It could easily fit both of them at the same time, unlike the one in Victor's - well, _their_ \- apartment.

It's a good thing the realtor doesn't follow them around into the apartment beyond the hallway. It means they can discuss their opinions in peace, but right now it's more important that she can't see the look on Victor's face as he realises what the blush on Yuuri's face means; that he's gotten ideas for both the bathtub and the shower.

Before Victor can make a teasing comment however, Yuuri leads them back into the living room and starts talking.

"Can't you imagine Makkachin on the rug in front of the bed? Walking her along the water side and running amongst the trees and playing fetch? Or Yurio filling his bedroom with animal print bedsheets and the bathroom with matching towels? Chris flirting with his own reflection in the wall by the dining table? Minako-sensei slumped on the plush carpet in the living room after too many drinks? Yuuko-san yelling at her daughters for staying up too late and using her account? Or Phichit-kun filling his room with hamster plushies?"

Victor can feel himself fall in love with Yuuri all over again from the tone of his voice. Victor can imagine it all too; all their friends and family gathered in the living room, Yuuri helping his mother make food, maybe even Yurio's grandfather teaching them to make pirozhkis. The triplets passed out, cuddling up to Makkachin.

"I love you," Victor says, making it sound like they've exchanged the words so many times, making it sound so simple. A look of shock crosses Yuuri's face, but it's gone the next instant.  
"I love you too," he replies.

It's the first time they've said the words. Yuuri often thinks their relationship evolved a bit backwards. The first time they officially met, the first time Yuuri remembers meeting Victor, Victor was posing naked. Then he started talking about sharing a bed, and at times he brought his body inches away from Yuuri, stroking his bottom lip and nearly kissing him. They barely kissed before they got engaged, and now they're moving in together in a new apartment, in a country Yuuri's barely been to. and only now did they tell one another those three words.

It truly is the surest sign that they don't need to look at another apartment, that this one right here is the perfect one for them.

Victor takes Yuuri's hand, kisses the back of it, and then leads him to the hallway.

"We'll take it," he tells the realtor, a big grin on his face. She seems shocked, and Yuuri can't blame her. He's seen how long the place has been out for sale, knows the price has been lowered several times. Then there's the fact that neither of them asked any question at all about it. Yuuri know he'd be surprised too, had he been in her place, but he knows Victor, know how impulsive he can be, and he also knows that Victor agrees that this place will be perfect for them.

It's large enough to have several guests over, but not so large that it will seem imposing when it's just the two of them and Makkachin. They have rooms for guests, floorspace enough to lay out more mattresses in case they'll have more people than Yurio, Otabek and Phichit staying over at the same time. Adding a permanent stripper pole (for Chris, of course) won't be a problem either.

"Then let's sign the paperwork," Mila's friend says, the professional look upon her face back again as she leads them out of the apartment that will soon be theirs, together.

-

Later that night, after the paperwork been signed, they're both curled up in bed, Makkachin at their feet.

"Yuuri?"  
"Hmmm?"  
"I love you."  
"I love you too Victor."

They smile at one another as they drift off into sleep, both dreaming of their new apartment - that Yuuri will pay more than one ruble for - and the life they will start together, in a place of their own that will no doubt often fill with friends and family.


	2. Prelude to Party

' **You are cordially invited to celebrate the new stage in the lives of Y. Katsuki and V. Nikiforov at *insert address here* on the *insert date here*. Kindly RSVP at *insert date here* the latest. The happy couple looks forward to having you attend their special day.'**

"Phichit-kun! We're just moving in together; not getting married!"  
"Not until my darling Yuuri wins gold at the Grand Prix that is!"  
"Victor! You're not helping!"

Okay, so maybe inviting Phichit as the first guest - over Skype - had been a really bad idea. As soon as Yuuri saw him typing away, tongue peeking out between his lips in concentration instead of just responding right away, he knew his best friend was up to something and that something would make Yuuri disapprove and Victor agree with too much enthusiasm.

"Yuuri, why do you always ruin my fun? Can't you let me have this?"  
"No."  
"Fine." Phichit pouts, and in their small picture on the screen, Yuuri can see the same reflection plastered to Victor's face. "Just give me your address and dates and I'll make something proper."  
"Thank you," Yuuri sighs in relief before giving the information to his best and closest friend.

-

 _Of course_ Yuuri made a mistake in trusting Phichit, aka the worst friend ever. He finds out the day after, when the replies come in by email, forwarded with the original email Phichit sent out, containing, of course, the ridiculous, over-the-top invitation he'd first "suggested" to them, the only difference being that the address and dates had been filled in.

"I'm going to revoke his internet access when he gets here so he can't post anything from the party," Yuuri grumbles into Makkachin's fur, not considering that Phichit can just post the pictures after the party. Or the possibility that Victor will help him post pics and clips by giving him access behind Yuuri's back, because Victor is nothing but a great, big show-off who likes to share his love for Yuuri with the world.

-

Yuri knew he'd be getting a room at Victor and Yuuri's new apartment, but he knew nothing about the apartment; least of all the size of it.

They hand Yuri his own key and a note with the address on it, and another telling him which room is his, then they head out to buy mattresses, bedsheets, pillows and duvets for the party. They still don't know how many will be there, but decide to get enough in case everyone makes it.

Yuri's told he can head over whenever he wants, it doesn't matter if they're there or not as he's welcome at any time and it doesn't matter if it's late or if they won't be home for days.

He accepts it, trying to appear like he doesn't think it's a big deal, but they all know it is. It means he can have a place all to himself at times, even for just a few hours.

Yuri doesn't wait long; just grabs a bag of essentials and clothes that he packed as soon as he learnt he'd have his own room and leaves as soon as Victor and Yuuri can't see him do it.  
He hails a taxi as soon as he gets outside and hand over the note with the address.

He doesn't know the city all that well, and the apartment is outside the city center, so Yurio sits back and looks at the view, which is something he rarely gets to do. Not that he particularly feels like it most days, but… But if Otabek's coming to the party, he'll probably rent a bike again and then they can explore the city together, hidden by the anonymity the helmets provide.

When they arrive at the apartment complex, Yuri pays the driver and only once he's outside the car does he really take a look at where is is and his surroundings. He's on Krestovsky Island, just by the waterside.  
The building is four stories tall and shaped like a horseshoe, surrounded by parkland and trees on three sides, water on the fourth.

It looks _expensive as fuck_ , Yuri thinks. He doesn't pay too much attention as he enters the building, but enough to see the place is well-kept and looked after. Fountains and flowerbeds, benches to rest on and a view over the water; it all oozes wealth. Disgusting.

He takes the elevator to the second floor and unlocks the door. Makkachin greets him with a wagging tail, and soon he finds himself covered in dog spit. Yuri would complain if anyone were there, but he secretly likes their dog. He's a cat person through and through, but he's gotten so used to Makkachin that he's even willing to take her for walks if anyone would ask him to. Not that either Victor nor Yuuri have dared to (yet).

' **Your room is through the first door on the left** ,' the other note had said, so he takes off his shoes and walks through the door, Makkachin on his heels.

His bag hits the floor, barely missing the dog's head.

Yuri's room is _a lot_ larger than he'd expected. There's a desk straight ahead in the canopy window, the entire left wall is covered by floor-to-ceiling wardrobes, two mirrors in the same size, and even a built-in TV. The walls are cream-coloured, with the wall behind the double bed covered in dark wood panels, the same wood as the night stands and a few shades darker than the warm wooden floors.

The white bed is covered in cat plushies and underneath Yuri can see the bedsheets are tiger striped, just like the carpet covering most of the floor.

There's another door, and it leads into an adjacent bathroom. It too is large, even larger than the one he had at Lilia's place. The stone walls remind him of tiger's eye stones. Not only is there a bathtub, but a separate shower as well. Behind the double mirrors he finds plenty of room for his own toiletries; too much space for one person, he thinks, but maybe Otabek will be able to fill up the remainder of the space with items of his own for when he gets the chance to come over.

Speaking of Otabek…

Yuri flops down on the bed and start a video conversation with Otabek over skype. It's only while it's calling that he's realising that Beka's most likely got practice right now. But then he answers, and Yuri can feel a grin filling his own face.

"Hey you," he says. Yuri still feels weird about how relaxed he feels around Otabek, how he doesn't need to pretend to be angry or feel disgusted when Yuuri and Victor act like newlyweds who can't keep their hands away from one another. It's nice to feel like he can really, truly be himself and not have to act according to the image he's created.

"What's with all the plushies?" Otabek asks, not even greeting Yuri.  
"Oh, them. Remember how I said Katsudon and Victor said I could have a room at their new place? Well, they went a bit far in the decoration department." Yuri rolls his eyes, and Otabek knows he's doing it to distract from the way his eyes look wet, as though he's trying not to cry. "You could have said hi to your boyfriend at first at least, instead of asking about the damned plushies."

"I thought I was _your_ boyfriend?" Beka asks, and the lilt to his tone as he puts weight on the word 'yours' sends a primal feeling of need through Yuri.  
"Pleaaaaaseee tell me you're coming to the party! You know what you do to me when you talk like that!" Yuri knows he's whining, but he doesn't care. He misses Otabek, okay? He wants him in this bed filled with stupid plushies, that is still stupidly empty because Beka's not there with him

"You're there, so why shouldn't I?" And oh, Yuri's heart is acting up and his stomach is filled with butterflies. Beka's usually so stoic and silent, but just like Yuri, he changes when it's just the two of them. It's like they've finally found someone they can relax completely around, someone they can really be themselves with, with no fear of being judged.

"Men seni süyemin."  
"Ja tebja ljublju."

They say the words at the same time, both in the language of the other, both rusty. Neither cares; they just smile at one another.

"Okay, so I know the party's soon and all, but you gotta see my room. I haven't even looked at the rest of the place yet. You're staying here with me, right? No bullshit hotel?"  
"Yura, I got a ' _special invitation_ ' from them to stay with you. Called me a ' _good influence on our son_ '."  
"I'm going to kill them," Yuri mutters under his breath, then adds in an off-handed way, "after the party, so you still get to come here of course."

He then proceeds to show Beka his rooma and bathroom, before they explore the rest of the apartment together. Not Victor and Yuuri's rooms though, because that feels too intimate, despite the sliding doors being partially open.

It's a good thing for all parts that the pole has yet to be installed.

Phichit arrives two days early for the moving in party in Victor and Yuuri's apartment, and it doesn't take long for Yuuri to realise that putting his best friend in the same room as his fiancé might be a rather bad thing.

It's bad enough that they're dramatic on their own, but having them in the same space at the same time might truly be a really truly not at all good idea.

Phichit starts by taking a selfie with the pair, then with Makkachin (who is only too happy to oblige), followed by a sneaky photo of Yuuri over by the newly installed stripping pole. Chris is the first to like the latter image, Victor the second. Yurio is the first to comment (no one is surprised it's a barf emoji), Chris just a second after with a lot of winking smilies and a vow to have a re-match both before and at the party as he'll be arriving the day before and will also be staying over.

Victor and Yuuri made sure to buy a lot of mattresses, duvets, pillows and bedsheets (they can just put them away in storage until they need them for guests the next time) for their guests, knowing that even though some live in the same city, it will be easier for them all to spend the entire night.

It's only as Yuuri gives him the tour of the place, Victor out for a walk with Makkachin, and Phichit sees their bedroom that he realises the stripping pole is right across from the bed, meaning that whoever works the pole is in perfect view of the person on the bed. And Phichit swears there must be someone in heaven who's heard and answered his prayers because surely this means Yuuri's finally ready to take the next step?

"So Yuuri. Whose idea was it to put the pole in perfect view of your bed?" He gets no answer of course, just a sputtering sound and the reddest cheeks he's ever seen on anyone, Yuuri included. Then he sees the way Yuuri's eyes flicker between the two objects and then realisation dawns in his eyes and Phichit can't honestly say he's surprised it's Victor who gave the instructions on where to put it. He briefly wonders if the people who installed it saw the bedroom or if the doors were in place, and what the hell they thought in that case. Then again, people like that have probably installed some pretty crazy shit in pretty crazy places (especially after the whole 50 Shades shitshow started).

Yuuri guides him through the walk-in closet and into the bathroom and while Phichit could barely contain himself at all the storage space, the sheer size of the bathroom causes him to let out a wheeze.

"The hell? This bathroom is bigger than our place back in Detroit? That shower alone is… Yuuri, can I move into your shower? I promise I'll behave!"  
"You're my best friend, Phichit-kun, but no way am I letting you live in my shower. Victor would be grumpy if you caused him to miss out on his ridiculously long showers and I swear he loves that more than he loves Makkachin."  
"But he loves you more, right? So if you lemme stay, then he'll do too, right?"

Yuuri just rolls his eyes at that. "Come on, I still haven't shown you the best part."  
"Best part? What do you mean, best part? How can anything top this?"  
"I'll show you if you promise not to ask Victor about the pole, okay?"  
"Sometimes I think you hate me when you hurt me so much," Phichit replies, clutching his chest in a manner that is entirely too much like Victor and Yuuri wonders how he'll make it through with his two favourite people in the same apartment for almost an entire week.

"Phichit…" If there's one thing that lets Phichit know Yuuri's annoyed with him, it's when he leaves out the honorific at the end of his name.  
"Okay, okay, I promise! Can I see the so-called _'best part'_ now?"

In response, Yuuri holds out a piece of fabric. "I need to put this over your eyes first."  
"Yuuuuuriiii," Phichit whines. He didn't promise he wouldn't, so he can't see how Yuuri can get upset with him over it. His only reply is a raised eyebrow, so Phichit allows him to tie the blindfold over his eyes. Yuuri then takes his hand and leads him on through the apartment.

"Okay, you can open your eyes now!"  
"You do remember you made sure I can't see right?" Phichit replies, rolling his eyes even though he knows his best friend can't see it, and tugs on Yuuri's hand that's still holding his own.  
"Oops, sorry!"

As the fabric falls away, Phichit blinks rapidly to adjust his eyes.

"It's… a bedroom?"  
" _Your_ bedroom, Phichit-kun!"

The sound that escapes Phichit as he tackles Yuuri to the floor can only be described as inhuman. Yuuri wonders if he needs to get used to being tackled to the floor by the people he love.

-

"I'm pretty sure we've adopted Phichit too. At least now Yurio have a bigger family, however he'll take it."  
"Phichiiiiiiit! Are you our son too?" Victor shouts towards the living room, to be heard over the music coming from the TV.  
"Nope! I'm your brother-in-law to-be! Ooooh, I'm gonna give you the best 'if you hurt Yuuri, I'll hurt you' talk, just you wait!"  
"Better from you than Mari!"  
"Victor, don't insult your other brother-in-law," Phichit chimes in, then ducks as a plastic cup flies his way from the kitchen, missing his head by inches.

Yuuri glares at them both until they apologize for their words.

"How come we're friends again?  
"Family, Yuuri, we're family!" Phichit and Victor chorus in perfect unison.


	3. Party

Victor hadn't been too keen on inviting JJ and his fiancé to their party after JJ had claimed he couldn't congratulate them because _he'd_ be the one getting married first, but Yuuri had reminded him that what JJ needed now was to feel included and like he still belongs with them.

"Imagine if it were you who'd failed like that. If you made a mistake or got too caught up thinking about me, or the pressure of staying on top. Or if anything had happened to Makkachin and it had affected your performance…" He'd trailed off, and Victor had known all too well that Yuuri had been thinking back to his own failure.

"You're right, sweetheart."  
"And who knows, maybe we can get to know him and Isabella as people," Yuuri had added, though there had been some doubt in his voice as he'd said it.

-

It turned out they'd had nothing to worry about. JJ and Isabella arrived at the party carrying a large, tasteful flower arrangement and brushes for Makkachin.  
Yuuri quickly notices that while JJ tries his best to appear every bit as cocky and over-confident as he normally does, he's still clearly affected by the GPF

"I know what you've been through; I had the same happen to me last year, Yuuri tells him in a low voice. "If you need to talk to anyone about it, just call me anytime. I swear I won't tell anyone, Victor included."

Surprise fills JJ's eyes as they widened at the offer, and it makes Yuuri wonder if anyone else have reached out to offer help. Then again, he might not know anyone who's been through the same thing, so JJ might simply not have expected anyone to understand, just as Yuuri was certain JJ hadn't known or realised he'd been the ' _spectacular screw-up_ ' from the last GPF until now.

"Thank you," JJ replies, and for once there's a genuine smile on his face, one normally reserved for his fiancé, and he visibly relaxes, as though a burden's fallen off his shoulders. Yuuri smile back and then goes off to greet Mickey, Emil and Sara.

Yuuri's had two glasses of champagne before their guests started arriving. He's asked Victor to keep a watch on him so he'd not repeat the incident from the banquet the year before, and Victor reluctantly agreed. It hadn't stopped Phichit from sneaking Yuuri a second glass when he'd seen his best friend start to get anxious about the party. Besides, Phichit still feels like he'd missed out on the opportunity of his life and swore to himself he'd be there the next time - _if_ there was a next time.

"We're putting the finishing touches on the food," Yuuri tells them as they're all gathered in the living room, the scent of several dishes filling the air. "So if you'd like to make yourself comfortable first, you can see we don't lack the space."

He points to the sofas as he says the last part, and their guests aren't slow when it comes to finding seats. One sofa quickly fills with Emil next to Mickey, who drags his sister down on his other other side, while Mila glues herself to Sara's other side. Georgi sits at one end of another sofa, while Isabella sits on JJ's lap at the other end of the same sofa.

Chris and Phichit takes up seats between them to shield Georgi from the happiness radiating from the engaged couple, and to spare said couple from the sighs of heartache from Georgi.

They get compliments on the apartment and how tastefully decorated it is, with deep, comfortable sofas and chairs, green plants and soft rugs, a dining table large enough to easily fit everyone and that there's no lack of space - nor bathrooms - for having guests stay over.

Instead of one coffee table, they have a selection of various wooden and metal side tables of different heights set in a group, so they can be spaced out when there's a need for it. Currently there are some small succulents and lit candles occupying some of them.

The colour scheme is rather basic and simple; brown leather chairs, cream coloured sofas, cushions in varying green tones, and rugs coloured matching browns, greens and cream hues to tie it all in.

"And it's all thanks to one of my friends," Mila tell them, pride colouring her voice.  
"But Yuuri was the one who picked this place, and we didn't even have to look at another apartment," Victor adds, and _his_ voice is filled with love.  
"Victor, be nice! It's only because Mila's friend put this place on the list that we ended up here, so give credit where it's due!"  
"But… Yes dear…"

"If you'll excuse us," Yuuri says and drags Victor with him to the kitchenette to check on the food.

"I'm not saying my goal is to have Yuuri rub up against Victor by the end of the night, but I'm not saying it's _not_ my goal either," Phichit explains in a conspiratory voice to Chris when the older man asks what he's up to after he caught Phichit place glasses of (ridiculously expensive) champagne in Yuuri's range, and then proceed to make small comments to embarrass him, which in turn makes Yuuri take sips.

Victor is too busy talking with Georgi - well, listening to the man complain about how alone he is and how lucky Victor is to have Yuuri and that Georgi wishes they won't end up like him and Anya - to pay attention to how much Yuuri is drinking.

After checking on the food in the kitchen, Otabek and Yuri take seats near the sound system, but not before Otabek starts the playlist Victor opened up on the iPad.

"Oi, Victor! You sure this isn't meant for your wedding?"Yurio somehow manages to scowl at Victor while simultaneously raising an eyebrow. Yuuri meanwhile, gets redder in the face for each song title he sees and recognises.

"I'm quite sure, Yurio. We have impeccable song tastes after all!" He then seems to realise he is said something he is not supposed to, and judging by the look on Yuuri's face, he does too.  
"Victor…" There's a dangerous tone to his voice. "When you say ' _we_ '..."  
"Why, me and Makkachin of course!"

All of their guests (with the exception of Phichit) look at them with various degrees of disbelief. Sure, Yuuri can be very oblivious at times, but surely he doesn't buy that claim, that Victor apparently made a playlist with the help of _his dog_.

This time Yuuri just _looks_ at him and no one notices that the next song on his playlist is playing in the background; 2 Becomes 1 by Spice Girls. It seems an embarrassing amount of the songs on the playlist are from the 90's. Yuuri, too, seems to notice this, which is why he turns and levels The Look on his best friend.

"Fiiiiiiine! I helped him make it!"

On the sofa furthest from them, Emil presses impossibly closer against Mickey, looking as though he is trying to bury himself in the other man in order to avoid Yuuri's gaze. Mickey in turn wraps an arm around the younger man and turns his head into his own chest, shielding him further. It's an unconscious move from Mickey's side, and if they both freeze even more at it, then at least no one notices as they're still focused on whatever's going on with their hosts and Phichit.

"Yuuuuriiii! Don't be mad at my brother-in-law!" Victor draws Yuuri's attention back to himself, and pouts as soon as The Look gets focused on him again, but it quickly falls as not even The Great Victor Nikiforov is immune to The Katsuki Look of Disapproval.

"Fine. But neither of you will get any katsudon," cries of outrage comes from both Victor and Phichit at this, "AND you'll let Otabek take care of the music tonight!"

The stoic man looks relieved at not having to listen to any more sappy, 90's love songs, and Yurio is quick to pull up a playlist Yuuri manages to look at just lok enough to see it's titled "Beka and Yuri's Playlist of Awesome".

"But we spent so long making the katsudon," Phichit whispers to no one in particular. "I cannot believe he would rob me of eating it!"  
"I'll be sure to sneak you some bites during dinner then," Chris says and winks at him, causing Phichit to squeak and all eyes turn on him.

In order to distract them, he pulls up his phone and takes a selfie with a sad, put-upon expression on his face, posting it to instagram with the hashtags _#betrayed #nokatsudonforme #eventhoihelpedmakethem #lookingforanewbestfriend_. He even tags Yuuri, knowing he'll not see it for at least a few days and by then Phichit will be safely out of reach.

Only then does Phichit remember the currently hidden present for Christ (or so Victor and Yuuri claim, but Phichit refuses to believe Chris is the only reason they had the pole installed).

It's only after Yuuri and Victor disappears into each of the kitchens to stir the food and put trays of pirozhki into the ovens that Phichit mentions it to Chris.

"Hey, Chris. Did you know they have a surprise for you?"  
"Oh?" Chris' face lights up in interest. "It wouldn't happen to be a night in their bed?"  
"There are minors here!" Yurio yells at them before Phichit can reply. Otabek barely stops him from throwing an empty bottle towards them. Of course it causes Yuuri to look up from what he is doing in the kitchenette to find out what's going on with their guests.

Fast as lightning, Phichit stand by the covered pole, and before Yuuri can open his mouth to protest he rips the fabric away to reveal the surprise.

The room fills an array of varying sounds. A yell of disgusted outrage from Yurio, a _very_ suggestive ' _oooooh_ ' from Chris, a panicked squeak from Yuuri, "don't look Sara," from Mickey and an impressed whistle from Mila.

-

They had spent the last day before the party preparing some of the food they would serve. Phichit helped Yuuri make katsudon, while Otabek helped Yurio make pirozhkis. Victor had been told to "fuck off" when he'd asked if Yurio and Otabek needed help in the kitchen, and there had been no available space for him to help the other two in the kitchenette, so he got to make sure the ordered food was coming along nicely and would be done in time.

"Yuuuuriiiii! I'm bored! I wanna help too!"  
"You can help by taking Makkachin out for a walk," Yuuri had replied, pointing towards the dog who had looked at the food being prepared like she'd been wondering what she could do to get them to "accidentally" drop a piece so she could get some for herself.

While Victor was taking Makkachin for a walk, Yurio and Otabek had enjoyed his absence by engaging in a make-out session, for once not disrupted by anyone as Yuuri and Phichit were busy in the other end of the apartment. They only stopped when Victor returned, which had allowed them time to collect themselves and look presentable - well, as presentable as one can be when covered in flour - before Yuuri dropped in to give them pork cutlets to fill the pirozhki with.

And if Yurio had to pretend not to be pleased at the unexpected gesture - allowing him to combine his two favourite meals into one - well then, no one in that room was going to mention they had noticed.

-

"Dinner's served," Victor yells out half an hour later, as he, Yurio, Otabek, Yuuri and Phichit carry platters to the large dining table, filled with pirozhki fresh out of the oven, pork cutlet bowls, sushi, borscht and beef stroganoff. All in all it's quite unconventional party food, and maybe even more unconventional as food at a dinner party.

Victor explains what the dishes spread out on table are as they take a seat and instruct them to dig in and try as many dishes as they can.  
"You better like the pirozhki cause my grandpa made the recipe," Yurio yells just before he stuffs his mouth full with one filled with pork cutlet.

Dinner starts out as a rather calm affair, their guests eating with gusto and only stopping to compliment the food and ask someone to pass them more. Yurio makes it abundantly clear that he will not - under any circumstance - give the pirozhki recipe to anyone else. (Of course he doesn't say he's shared it with Otabek, nor that his grandfather gave it to Yuuri and Victor).

Their guests praise Yuuri's katsudon the most, and he graciously accepts the compliments while saying his are not nearly as good as the ones his mother make.

"I still like Yuuri's the most because he made them himself," Victor beams from Yuuri's side and tries to sneak a bite from his fiancé's plate, but Yuuri only slaps his hand away while blushing.

"I helped too," Phichit adds from his place between Georgi and Chris. "And yet I don't get a single bite!" Phichit's pout quickly disappears as Chris feeds him a bite off of his own fork.

Everyone stops talking and just stares at Phichit and Chris.

"What?" Chris asks defensively. "Yuuri said he couldn't get any, and you know I'm weak for pouts. And he helped make the, it's only fair."

"Chris…." Yuuri is now looking at _him_ with the Katsuki Look of Disapproval, and to everyone's surprise it even works on Chris. In fact, even Chris himself seems surprised it did, having thus far thought himself immune to such looks being leveled at him after years of getting used to it.

Phichit's quick to take a selfie with Chris while Chris still looks like he is been scolded by a teacher and then posts it to instagram before Christ can react. 

"It's on," Chris says. 

-

When they move back to the living room, Yurio grabs a large pillow and flops down at it by Otabek's feet, letting the older man practice braiding his hair.  
When Chris makes an offhand remark about Yurio looking like a dog at his master's feet, the boy snarls at him in a way that makes him sound more like a big cat than a dog, and tells him in not so few words just how he can go fuck himself.

"Language, Yurio," Yuuri chides him.  
"Listen to your father, Koneko-chan!"  
"You're not my fathers!"  
"Then listen to you uncle at least," Phichit pipes up, and in reply Yurio flips him off.

The whole display means Otabek has to start his careful, intricate work all over again, but Yurio doesn't mind; he loves the feeling of Otabek's hands in his hair.

Phichit is quick to open his camera and takes a selfie with Otabek and Yurio in the background. In the picture, Phichit looks scandalized, and he captions the picture ' _my nephew yuri_plisetsky refuses to listen to me, will only listen to otabek-altin_ ', tagging it # _whydoeshehateme #hewontlistentohisuncle #wheredidigowrong #ilostanephew #somehwerealonginthebitterness._

In response, Chris throws his arm around Phichit, quickly snaps a picture and uploads it with a single tag; phichit+chu # _thisiswar_

-

Phichit and Chris' selfie war proceeds throughout the night, with the pair posing with the other skaters or alone, doing more and more ridiculous poses and exceedingly weirder facial expressions.

Chris mainly goes for selfies where he can show himself off the most, so one of the more memorable ones in ons of him posing on top of the dining table, facing the reflective wall on one side, shirt undone. He only needs to use one tag on it; # _dinnerisserved._

Phichit goes for more ridiculous and funny ones, like imitating and making fun of Chris and his posing, or making pained expression featuring a crying Georgi talking to one of the other guests in the background, or making it look like he is about to barf because of JJ and Isabella making out. Everyone knows he's doing the latter as a parody of Yurio.

Yurio himself is too disgusted with all the PDA going on to care; JJ and Isabella are bad, but Yuuri and Victor are _the absolute worst_.

And then, to somehow make it even worse - and to everyone's surprise - Emil's ended up partly on top of Mickey and they're so preoccupied with one another that Sara's able to slip away from he brother's side to steal Mila and Isabella away from the guys to talk amongst themselves at the bar.

When Chris posts a selfie of himself with the pole, tagging it with # _bestgiftfrombestfriends_ , Phichit's starting to wonder if he'll have to go to drastic measures to win, but then recalls he's yet to post a picture of his own room.

He flops down on the bed, attaches his phone to his selfie stick, and crams as many hamster plushies he can into the frame before snapping a picture.

' _christophe-gc may have been gifted a stripping pole, but i got my own room and plushies #iwin'._

Chris can't help but give in at that. He claims it's only because of the gifts, not the selfies themselves, but a quick headcount of the likes on their selfies from the night shows Phichit won, so Chris is left with no choice in the matter.

' _phichit+chu won & now i'll never hear the end of it #badwinner_

"More like sore loser!" Yurio yells at him.

-

Those not involved in the selfie war spend the night talking and dancing and eating the snacks put out on the various side tables and the bar.

All the side tables have been moved out of the way to leave space for dancing in the square made from sofas, chairs and the outer wall.

Victor's been distracted enough to have lost count of the amount of glasses of champagne Yuuri's had, and so he meets no resistance when asking him to dance. Victor finds himself constantly amazed by how skilled a dancer Yuuri is, even when drunk, and vows to himself they must do this more often.

They easily lose track of time, everyone except Georgi dancing until Yuuri somehow manages to drag him up from the sofa and onto the makeshift dancefloor. It speaks volumes of Yuuri's kindness and shows how easily he is able to make people like and trust him. Everyone present knows just how hard it is to make Georgi feel anything else when he is so caught up in his heartache, and yet there Yuuri is, making a fool of himself in front of his friends and making Georgi smile.

Somehow, but not unsurprisingly, they get a kind of re-run of the GPF banquet from last year, with Yuuri once again initiating a dance off, and to no-one's surprise, Yurio's the first to accept his challenge, hoping to beat him this time. Victor quickly joins, draggin Chris along with him, and then Phichit joins in, just for fun.

They slow the music down after that, and Phichit manages to steal a dance with his best friend, while Chris quite literally sweeps Victor into dancing with him.

Mickey is surprisingly the one to ask Emil to dance, and the younger man doesn't hesitate to accept. Isabella and JJ look perfect together, as though they slow dance together every day and can't imagine a day they don't. Sara and Mila look wonderful together, elegant in long, sweeping dresses.

Georgi looks happier than he's been in months and it's hard to tell if he is crying because he is sad or because of the music, or because the people in front of him are so happy.

-

The second Chris starts to take off his clothes and makes a beeline for the pole, Yuri grabs Bek's hand and drags him into his bedroom, shouting something about ' _gross old men_ ', and how ' _there are minors present!_ '

They still hear Chris' music - a whole fucking _playlist,_ what the hell - through the closed (and locked) door, so Yuri turns on the TV and goes through a seemingly endless list of channels before he finds one that plays music and turns it up until it drowns out the sounds from the living room.

Beka's waiting for him on the bed, arms open in invitation and Yuri doesn't hesitate before he's in his boyfriend's arms, finally kissing him again.

"Impatient," Beka chides him and Yuri would care had it been anyone but Beka who said it. Apart from his grandfather, Otabek is the most important person in Yuri's life and Beka means a lot to him.

Kissing Beka makes Yuri realise how much he is missed being _alone_ with him. After Beka arrived, there's always been someone else there in the apartment, so they've only had the nights to themselves.

It makes Yuri realise how much he _wants_ Beka.

"Missed you," Yuri whispers into his skin.

He can't stop himself from kissing and licking the skin exposed by Beka's partly unbuttoned shirt.

"You taste so good."

Beka's hands wander down Yuri's back, and then under the tank top he is wearing, stroking the skin, head thrown back to give Yuri access to his throat.

Yuri's had some champagne, despite Otabek's disapproving looks being thrown at him, but not enough to be visibly affected. This thing between them is still new, and neither of them have felt like this for anyone else before.

It's hard to stay in control, but Otabek is adamant they don't move too quickly. He is three years older than Yuri, somewhat more in control of his hormones, even now that Yuri is straddling his hips and marking his throat.

"Yuraaaaa..." It comes out as a hoarse whisper, but ends in a moan as Yuri grinds his hips against Otabek's. In response, he buries his fingers in Yuri's hair, pulling him up to kiss him thoroughly.

In the end, Otabek breaks away from the kiss, not only because he needs air but because he needs to stop before they go too far.

"Yura," he repeats, more in control but still out of breath. "Stop… We need to…"  
"Don't wanna," Yuri breaths against his ear.  
"We have to… please, Yura."

Yuri rolls of off him, scowling and pouting.

"Fine…. But I get to pick the movie," he says as he climbs out of bed to get the remote and put his hoodie back on.  
"Unlock the door too," Beka tells him, and Yuri knows he says it for both their sake, hoping to make it easier to stop before they go too far, too fast.

Yuri knows what Beka means, knows he is doing and saying what he does so they won't do anything they regret. Yuri is 16, Otabek almost 19; they're young, teenagers who are still too young to make decisions like this without thinking it through; they need to wait and know they want this and that they want it with one another.

Doesn't mean he has to like it though. They don't see one another in person as much as they'd like to, so every moment together is precious to both of them and they try to make the most of the moments they get, even if they sit in complete silence and watch something on the TV or read books.

Despite all the channels, Yuri struggles to find something worthwhile, until he stumbles upon The Princess Bride. They spend the time quoting the movie until Yuri falls asleep, soothed by Beka's hand playing with his hair and his steady breathing.

"As you wish," Otabek whispers, kissing the top of Yuri's head and then he too falls asleep, sitting in the bed with Yuri in his arms.

-

Victor is the first to wake the following morning. He starts up the two coffee machines and boils water for those who want tea. Then he goes to check on their guests.

Mickey is squashed under Emil, while Mila's somehow managed to tangle herself around Sara. Georgi is curled up in a fetal position, hugging a stuffed _something_ that Victor fears might be a plushie of Anya but hopes is either one of Phichit's hamster plushies or Yurio's cat plushies.

Chris is spread all over a mattress, the this sheet the only thing that covers him, although it barely does cover anything at all.

In his own room, Phichit's in the middle of his bed, surrounded by hamster plushies, even partly covered by them.

Yurio and Otabek are curled up together in seemingly uncomfortable positions, the TV still on from when they fell asleep before turning it off the night before. There are cat plushies still on the bed, although the majority have filled up the desk in the bay window and the padded seat at the end of the bed.

Victor smile at the sight, then gently almost close the door so he won't wake them.

Makkachin's been with Yakov since the day before, and he shows up with the dog just as the coffee is done, so Victor gives him a cup and leftover pirozkhi from the night before, then tells him to say hi to Lilia from them, winking at his coach as he hurries to close the door before Yakov can yell at him.

"Hi girl! I missed you!" Victor says, before he's knocked to the ground by his very excited dog and gets covered in dog kisses. "How about we go wake up Yuri, huh?"

Makkachin bounces around his feet as they walk into their bedroom. Yuuri is deeply asleep but quickly wakes when showered in kissed from both Victor and Makkachin.

"Makkachin, you wanna wake up the others too?" Yuuri asks in his gruff morning voice, speech slurred by sleep. Their dog still understands him and trots off to wake their guests, no doubt by licking their faces too.

"Good morning Yuuri," Victor beams, and Yuuri swear his smile is even more blinding than the sun.  
"How come you're always so happy in the mornings?" Yuuri asks, clawing at Victor to make him come closer so they can kiss, because for some reason Victor doesn't mind morning breath.  
"Because I get to see you of course!"

"Victoooooor!" The shout rings through their apartment, and leaves no doubt as to whom Makkachin just woke up.  
"Oooops! Must have forgotten to close their door earlier!"

Yuuri just laughs, and Victor can't help but kiss him again.

"Get up. Coffee's done, and I'm taking Phichit to get some baked goods from the bakery. The others are more than likely awake now, either from Yurio's shouting or Makkachin's kisses."  
"Five more minutes?"

"Yuuuuriiiiii~" Phichit's voice floats into the room, and Yuuri curses the fact that Victor and Phichit are alike in this too; Yuuri himself have never been nor will ever become a morning person.

"Fiiine. I'm coming."

-

Breakfast is a lot like the dinner the night before. They're all tired, nursing various degrees of headaches, cups of coffee or tea cradled in their hands. Yuuri had suspected this would be the case and had stocked up on painkillers.

They're all in their pj's, except Chris who's only wearing a very revealing robe, but no one feels up to commenting on it, long since used to seeing Chris in varying states of undress.

A couple litres of coffee, several packs of bacon and cartons of eggs later they finish breakfast, having eaten all the baked goods and pastries from the bakery on the ground floor of the building. It's taken them two hours to finish, as no one is in any rush to be anywhere else.

As they start to wake up more and their headaches get less painful, their guests start to get dressed and pack up their things so they can leave. They've already decided to head out for dinner later that day, and spend the next day sightseeing before everyone heads home to their respective countries and cities.

Emil and Mickey even hold hands as they leave, as the party had finally made Mickey realise that Emil had no interest in his sister as he'd feared, and now Mickey finally saw what had been in front of him and obvious to everyone else for a long time.

Apart from Emil, no one was more relieved by this revelation than Sara, who had now gained a lot more freedom as her twin brother's attention had shifted away from her.

JJ seems a lot more relaxed than when they had arrived, and acted more like his usual self. Yuuri still made a point of taking him to the side to remind him that if JJ wanted to talk, then Yuuri would always be there for him.

"Thank you all so much!" Yuuri talls them as he bows to each and every one of them as they leave the apartment in small groups. "We'll see you all later tonight and hope you'll come back to stay again!"

They all vow to do just that, and once again thank their hosts for the wonderful food and congratulate them on the new apartment.

"That went well!" Victor says once everyone but Yurio, Otabek and Phichit have left, and he and Yuuri are the only ones left in the hallway.  
"Yes. It did," Yuuri replies, kissing Victor in earnest.

"There are still minors here!" Yurio shouts from the dining room.

"He knows us too well," Yuuri laughs, and Victor joins in as he laces their fingers together as they join the others in cleaning up after breakfast.


End file.
